Steering Group on Water Charges
The Steering Group on Water Charges has been established to provide technical advice on water pricing to support the implementation of National Water Initiative pricing reforms.
Chaired by the National Water Commission, the Steering Group on Water Charges is focusing on achieving consistency in approaches to water charging across sectors and jurisdictions. The Steering Group on Water Charges will report back to the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council.
Members
The Steering Group on Water Charges comprises senior officials from state and territory government departments and independent economic regulators. Represented on the group are the:
- National Water Commission
- Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
- Murray Darling Basin Commission
- New South Wales Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability
- New South Wales Department of Water and Energy
- Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (New South Wales)
- Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water
- Queensland Competition Authority
- Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment
- Essential Services Commission (Victoria)
- South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance
- South Australian Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
- Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water
- Western Australian Department of Water
- Economic Regulation Authority (Western Australia)
- Australian Capital Territory Chief Ministers Department
- Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (Australian Capital Territory)
- Northern Territory Treasury
- Northern Territory Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts.
Stocktake of water charging
In February 2007, the Steering Group on Water Charges prepared a stocktake of states and territories' approaches to water charging and cost recovery practices in both the urban and rural sectors. The Steering Group is also developing principles to achieve consistency in water charging across jurisdictions and sectors.